ISSUE 191 .1 | WELCOME
THEONTARION.COM
5
A LETTER FROM
HELLO DEAR READER! Welcome to the University of Guelph and thanks for picking up this paper. My name is Ellyse and I’m the editor-in-chief of The Ontarion. I entered the organization at the beginning of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Ontario, so much of my time has been spent working and learning remotely, while also just trying to stay healthy, as I’m sure is the case with many of you. As we enter the Fall 2021 semester, let’s all give ourselves a pat on the back for living through such nerve-wracking, confusing, and challenging times. With vaccination levels in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph just over 83 per cent for first doses and 77 per cent for both, here’s hoping the light at the end of the tunnel is nearly here, and if we stay safe and vigilant we can push through the
the Edito r
fourth wave and have many fun and social activities to look forward to in 2022. Now, if you are unfamiliar with The Ontarion, we are an independent, student-produced, news outlet at the U of G that has been running since 1951. We are a not-for-profit corporation, meaning we carry out commercial activities to support our payroll and operations, but reinvest any profits into supporting the organization’s nonprofit mission of delivering independent news. Our revenue comes from paid advertising and student fees. We cater to both students and our broader community members online at theontarion.com and through our monthly print newspaper. You can pick up a copy at any of our 80+ locations across campus and throughout Guelph. Here is a glimpse of what we strive to offer:
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Breaking news affecting you on campus, in Guelph, and beyond; • Opinion pieces, movie reviews, event coverage, and educational content from members of Archival and Special Collections on campus; • A monthly calendar of events, • Stress-busting crossword puzzles (with the chance to win hotdogs from Bob’s Dogs on campus), and; • Videos on topics relevant to our community members. However, you should know that we don’t and can’t do all of this alone; in fact, you have a big role to play. In order to offer these things we need to know: what’s important to you and what you’re passionate about, how we can help you get your voice out there if you’ve got something to say, and what’s working and not working with our content. So, what
are some things you can do on your end? • Send us letters to the editor (300 words or less). • Tell us what you want to see in the paper. • Give us feedback on our content. • Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @theontarion. • Leave us a comment, like, or share a post. • Volunteer with us by writing, creating content, or joining our Board of Directors. Beyond voicing your opinion, you might still be wondering why you should bother getting involved. Well, have you considered that you will have the chance to meet new people through volunteer meetings and content collaboration, and expand your knowledge by researching ideas, concepts, and events? Or that
you’ll also get to improve your communication skills through collaboration, teamwork, discussion, and more? Not to mention you’ll improve your resume and chances of getting a job. If not, you should consider these things, and know that we’d love to meet you! For the time being, you can connect with us virtually via email, video chat or social media. Our office remains closed to the general public because of COVID-19, but here’s hoping our doors open back up again very, very soon. In the meantime, be safe, kind, curious, and informed out there — and best of luck this year! Sincerely, Ellyse Editor-in-Chief emcgarr@theontarion.com
